A Slam-Bang Indie Horror Gem

PLOT: Bear (Michael Johnston) is a shy music store employee with a monster crush on his long-time friend and co-worker, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). Too shy to confess his feelings—and possibly aware that she only thinks of him as a friend—he innocently makes a wish upon a dime-store “one wish willow” that she’d “love him more than anyone else in the world.” His wish comes true—and the consequences are nightmarish.

REVIEW: Obsession is going to strike a chord with a lot of viewers. I think everyone, at some point in their lives, has had a crush on someone who didn’t share their feelings, making Bear’s initial predicament easy to relate to. Others may also relate to Nikki, who’s perhaps been the object of affection from someone they simply aren’t interested in. Obsession becomes a nightmare for both halves of the equation, with Nikki utterly robbed of her agency, choice, and consent in order to fulfill someone else’s fantasy, while Bear—who thinks of himself as a “nice guy”—becomes a predator, and eventually a victim himself.

It’s a lot to chew on, and it marks the arrival of a major new talent in director Curry Barker. Stylishly directed and often darkly humorous, Obsession is a slow burn that pays off with an increasingly horrific final act. It includes one of the most memorable gore scenes in recent memory—so intense that Barker reportedly had to trim it to secure an R rating, and Focus gave it a wide summer release.

It’s exceptionally well-acted by both of its stars. Inde Navarrette is a hoot as the increasingly unhinged Nikki, yet she maintains your sympathy at all times, as you’re constantly aware she’s being manipulated by a force she can’t control. It’s almost a Linda Blair–esque performance, and it should put her on the map in a big way.

Yet of the two, Michael Johnston has the trickier role, playing a character most audience members will grow to despise without losing his humanity. In many ways—especially early on—Johnston’s Bear is as much a victim as Nikki, initially guilty of nothing more than making a dumb, throwaway wish on a gag toy he never expected to work. Yet at a certain point, he decides to go along with it, with a smash cut at one pivotal moment revealing that, despite thinking he’s a good man, he utterly lacks scruples, becoming a willing participant in Nikki’s tortured existence. Of course, things start to go wrong, and he tries to undo the wish—but as anyone who’s seen a horror movie knows, that’s easier said than done.

Barker guides the film with a sure hand and doesn’t shy away from hammering home his message about the difference between real love and obsession. Many will note the movie’s gallows humor, with gore-heavy moments happening so randomly and brutally that you can’t help but laugh at how demented they are—only to realize moments later that what you’re watching is, in many ways, a classic horror tragedy.

The supporting cast is excellent, with Megan Lawless a standout as Sarah, another record shop employee who would be a much better match for Bear if he could get over his obsession with Nikki. Cooper Tomlinson plays his more effortlessly charismatic friend, Ian. Also keep your eyes peeled for Andy Richter in a small role as the owner of the music shop they all work at (which feels like a cursed version of Empire Records).

If Focus plays its cards right, it might have the next indie horror sleeper on its hands with Obsession. It played like gangbusters at both TIFF and SXSW and is a great movie to see with an audience. It’s a strong communal horror experience and one of the more creative indie horror films to emerge in recent memory.